Have you ever
thought back
over your life
and considered
the decisions
you have
made─especially
those that have
taken you in a
new direction?
We have all made
good decisions
and bad.
Hopefully, there
have been more
good ones than
bad and there
would be more
good ones if we
would just stop
and think before
we act.

Far too many of
our decisions
have been made
because of
emotional
circumstances
and these can
often get us
into trouble.
For example:

·
A young boy and
girl are
together and
their hormones
are raging. If
they don’t cool
down their
emotions will
take over and
their lives
could take a
course they
hadn’t planned.

·
Anger overwhelms
a person. One is
dead, the other
headed for
prison.

·
Another goes to
a party, drinks
too much and
decides to drive
home and there
is a wreck on
the way. People
are killed.

We make
thousands of
decisions within
a day’s time.
Most are nearly
without thought,
but by reflex.
Our decisions
can go from the
mundane on one
end to the
critically
important on the
other end.

Rare is the
child,
especially
teenagers, who
willingly listen
to and “obey”
their parent’s
every word. This
is just part of
growing up.
“Parents are old
fogies who just
want to cramp my
style,” so they
think.

Isn’t this
pretty much the
same attitude
God gets from
people of all
ages who refuse
to listen to
Him? If I am a
Christian and
have this
attitude, it
will quickly
leave my
immature mind as
I mature in Him.
I will always be
His child, and I
know where home
is. However, to
have this
attitude as an
unbeliever and
refuse to listen
can cause me
eternal
damage─an
eternity in
hell.

Yes, we have all
made good and
bad decisions
down here on
earth. What
should I do
about those bad
decisions that I
have made on
this earth? The
apostle Paul
said:

“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I
do, forgetting
those things
which are
behind, and
reaching forth
unto those
things which are
before,I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in
Christ Jesus”
(Philippians
3:13-14).

That is the best
advice I have
ever read or
heard on this
subject. It
should be! It
came from the
Holy Spirit of
God. The Lord
Jesus is the
Author of the
Bible and that
is what He
advised Paul to
do for himself,
and also for us.

It is not easy
sometimes to put
those bad
decisions behind
us, but that is
the only way to
properly move on
in our lives.
For example;

·
What benefit is
there for a
divorced couple
to hold onto bad
feelings and
fight? None. It
just makes a bad
situation worse.

·
What benefit is
there in holding
onto a grudge?
It just makes us
bitter and
miserable.

·
What benefit is
there to grieve
over something
stupid we did?
None. We just
waste time and
become
miserable.

So we didn’t
catch the pass
that would have
won the game. So
we struck out
and our team
lost. So someone
else got the
part in the play
we wanted. Is
our dwelling on
the situation
going to change
anything? Or
would it be
better to forget
it and move on?
A decision can
be made at this
point for the
good, or the
bad.

We should be
very careful
about any
decision that
relies on our
emotions. That
isn’t to say
that emotions
are bad. An
emotionless
person is a dead
person. Emotions
are great!
Can you imagine a group of cheerleaders with no emotion or a
championship
victory with no
cheering? Enjoy
your emotions,
but use your
brain to make
decisions. I’ll
give some
examples:

·
You’re driving
down the road
with a tailgater
on your bumper.
Your emotions
say. “Get even,”
but your
emotions don’t
tell you just
how far the
tailgater would
go to retaliate.
Your brain says,
“Yes it makes me
mad, but let it
go.” Now which
makes more
sense? Do you
make a decision
from your
emotions or your
brain?

·
Someone called
you “stupid.” It
doesn’t
set-well. You
would like to
call them
something worse.
Wait a minute!
Are you stupid?
I didn’t think
so. So why not
just consider
the source, and
move on? Its
decision time
again.

·
You made a
decision years
ago to carry a
grudge against
someone. They
don’t know it
but you keep
hanging on to
it. Tell me, who
is the grudge
hurting? It
isn’t them. They
aren’t even
aware you have a
grudge against
them. Looks like
you’re the only
one left. Could
that be why you
have high blood
pressure and
ulcers? So: One
more time, who
is the grudge
hurting? Don’t
you need to make
a sensible
decision?

Have we ever
considered how
one decision can
affect the rest
of our lives? It
can completely
change the
course of our
lives. I think
we’ve seen that
in the above
examples.

One decision in
my life to
accept a job
transfer has
changed so many
things in my
life that I’ve
lost count.

·
I have met
people I would
never have
known,
otherwise.

·
I have had
experiences that
never would have
happened if I
hadn’t moved.

·
I made a
decision in
September of
2010 to send an
article to
Rapture Ready. I
had become fed
up with what I
was seeing
happening in the
churches. Prior
to that I had
never written an
article. I have
met many, many
fine people via
email because of
those articles.

Think about your
decisions. This
is a relatively
short article
that could have
been quite long,
but is it not
already clear
that the
decisions we
make can change
the course of
our lives─for
the good or the
bad?

The greatest
decision any of
us could ever
make throughout
our entire lives
concerns our
eternal futures:
Where am I going
to spend
eternity? Do I
believe in an
eternity after
death? Do I
believe in God?
Will I accept
what He says?

If you haven’t
made a decision
about Jesus
Christ, you need
to do so now.
Not only will
the remainder of
this life be
affected, but
the remainder of
your eternity.